Intimate Dublin Destination Wedding | Rachel + John

Married on a July day when the country was living up to its Emerald Isle nickname, Rachel and John’s wedding is nothing short of enchanting.

From Rachel:

“John and I wanted to have a small, intimate wedding and thought it would be fun to have an international destination. We love to travel and neither one of us had ever been to Dublin, but John is part Irish and we both love Guinness, so we thought it would be fun and fitting. We were not sure if anyone would be able to go, but that was the chance we took, and we were so happy to have a small collection of friends and family there to share the day with us. Incidentally, we also planned to honeymoon in Paris, so Dublin was convenient and only a short flight away.

I thought that it would be really hard to plan everything – especially dealing with the legal requirements (I was so paranoid that we would miss something and the marriage would not be recognized in the US), but the Registrar’s Office in Dublin was WONDERFUL and made the whole process pretty easy for us despite all of the paperwork! We stayed at The Shelbourne in Dublin, which is also where we had our reception, and they took such good care of us. It is a beautiful old hotel and we had our reception in the Constitution Room, which is where the Irish Constitution was drafted. The staff there was amazing to work with and very patient. We had to plan everything by phone and email and we were right to trust them because they did everything first class and made the day so special.

All I can say is thank goodness for the internet because that is literally how we found everything from the hotel (The Shelbourne), to the photographer (amazing amazing amazing- Amanda Wilcher perfectly captured our day), to the church (Dublin Unitarian Church), to the florist (Floral Events – Thomas was fabulous and I loved my bouquet!), to the hair stylist who did my hair as well as my nieces’ hair (Sian Sharkey)….. I think the only thing I did not find online was my wedding gown, which I have to restrain myself from putting back on on a daily basis. The gown really was so perfect – I didn’t feel like a cupcake or like I was dressing up as someone else. I really just felt like a better version of myself.”

Our wonderful bride is absolutely lovely (we honestly can’t imagine a more perfect dress), her new husband is every inch a dapper gent, and the two of them together are positively glowing with love!

So, while shopping for dresses, how did Rachel choose her Jade gown from all the rest?

“I found my gown at Town & Country Bridal in Saint Louis, where Lea-Ann was having a trunk show. I was looking for something elegant, but nothing too puffy or gaudy and something that would fit my frame (I’m 5’2″). It was love at first sight with the Jade gown. I did not think that I wanted lace, however the lace on the bodice and the lace trim were gorgeous! The skirt of the gown was raw silk and I loved the way the light caught on it.”

We’re so glad your wonderful destination wedding was all (and more) you’d hoped for. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful celebration, and best wishes!